Black Lightning
by DeepBlueButterfly
Summary: The way she said that made Tommy look up, a furrow between his brows. "Kira, anytime you need a place to go, call me," he said a bit sharper than he meant to, but the image of Kira sleeping on a park bench drew at his chest.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N and Disclaimer:** So for starters, I haven't watched Dino Thunders all the way through since it came out in the early 2000's, so some of the backstory in the beginning may be a bit rough (I did a brief wiki search to remind myself). Aside from that, hopefully it's in character well enough. I'm also working through the series now, but between classes, work, research, and attempting to teach Taekwondo (yes, I hate myself this semester), it's taking me awhile.

Anyways, this story will portray an alternate universe post-season where Tommy and Kira are a couple. It takes a more mature look at their relationship and the world that they live in (and in other words, expect violence, language, and mature sexual content. Also, there may be triggers for self-harm and rape. I will not be warning prior to lemon scenes; however, I will post warnings prior to trigger chapters and will summarize these chapters at the beginning of the next chapter so no crucial information is lost)

So without further ado, I do not own the series or characters, and I hope you guys enjoy

 **Chapter One**

The first time he noticed her was the day they defeated Zeltrax.

 _Connor and Ethan were busy fighting one of Mesogog's genetically modified goons, leaving Kira Ford and Dr. Tommy Oliver to face off against Zeltrax. Between the two of them they were able to defeat Zeltrax, but not without injury._

 _Afterwards, Tommy crouched beside the yellow ranger, who lay nearly motionless on the warm asphalt, save for the small, erratic movements of her chest. "Demorph, Kira, we did it. Zeltrax is gone." He couldn't find it in himself to say 'dead.' He couldn't stand to see the distaste in the young woman's beautiful, hazel eyes._

 _After a moment she did, and Tommy nearly did a double take. Her face was flushed and a thin sheen of sweat coated her skin, while her pale pink lips were parted with tiny, pained gasps. Smears of blood were at either corner of her mouth and her arm was crossed over her stomach, the evident source of her pain._

 _The image of his friend injured and clearly in pain made his stomach knot, but the image of Kira sent shrapnel straight through his heart. "Kira," he murmured quietly, and before he really comprehended what he was doing, he gently brushed a strand of her honey-wheat hair out of her face._

" _I'll be fine, Tommy," she said and attempted a smile. And perhaps if her words were above a whisper and were not in between gasps, he would have believed her. Instead he scooped her up in his arms, ignoring her wince, and started walking toward his jeep several yards away._

It was that evening, while Hayley tended to the rangers' wounds that they saw the headline on a local news report on Channel 10: **Body of Reefside High School Graduate Identified.**

A composite picture of a young man with black hair, light caramel skin, and a familiar smile flashed on the screen: Trent Mercer. Their beloved white ranger and friend was gone.

No one said a word for a long while, although silent tears were shed and unvoiced questions gave the air a tangible presence. _How? When? Could I have prevented it?_

None of them realized the time passing them by, until eventually the 10 o' clock news flashed the same headline, except this time additional information was given.

Trent's body was located in the middle of the forests, but the cause of death was not able to be determined after an autopsy. In the same headline it was announced that Anton Mercer's body was also located, and that the police were asking for any information possible.

It was Kira that spoke first, although only Tommy heard her. "Dr. O, do you know what could have done it? Trent, I mean?"

And in fact he did, so he solemnly began to explain. "Whenever a ranger's DNA binds forcefully as in Trent's case, it can leave just as forcefully. I think in Trent's case, whenever he lost his ranger abilities, it basically burned him out."

Several minutes later, Connor voiced the question all of the young rangers wondered: "Could it happen to us as well?"

Tommy shook his head. "It's highly unlikely," he answered, still watching the TV screen with an expression almost devoid of emotion. He still wasn't sure how to feel—sad, certainly, but a small part of him was relieved as well. Relieved that it wasn't Kira. Ashamed that he felt relief. Confused because he did. And then back to relieved that the young woman was propped against the couch in as comfortable a position she could manage with two fractured ribs.

The silence that followed was pierced by the sound of a phone ringing, and a muted curse from Connor. "It's my mom," he said quietly. "I've gotta go, she's gonna be freaked."

Ethan poked his head up for the first time and nodded. "I'll need to go too," he murmured.

Hayley stood slowly. "I'll give you guys a ride; Kira, do you need one too?"

Kira hesitated and nibbled on her lower lip. "I'm not sure what would be better," she admitted quietly. "Mom'll freak about my ribs, but she'll freak otherwise too. I don't think the car crash story will work again," she said, referencing to a previous story used to deflect her mom's near panic attack upon seeing her daughter black and blue from head to toe—courtesy of their first encounter with the white ranger.

Surprisingly, Tommy provided the solution. "Why don't you call your mom and tell her you were at a friend's house and fell asleep? You can stay in the guest bedroom tonight. We can figure something out tomorrow."

Once everyone agreed and shared solemn goodbyes and promises to meet tomorrow, Tommy and Kira were left alone. Her phone call to her mom was quick. "Hey Mom, I'm really sorry but I fell asleep at Cassidy's. We were filling out some scholarship applications…Yeah, I'm alright. In a bit of shock…Yeah, we were close…No, no, you guys should still go. I could use some time alone…Alright, love you, bye."

Kira sighed and flipped her phone closed, staring idly at it for a long moment. "I think I just found the solution for tomorrow," she said, shifted, and winced. "My parents are going on a two week-long trip to New York to visit some family. They'll be out of the house for a while."

Tommy nodded absently and chewed on the cuticle of his thumb, an old habit he'd long since beat, unless under a great deal of stress.

"Tommy, there's nothing we could have done," Kira murmured and rubbed soothing circles on his right shoulder blade. The cotton of his black tee was soft to the touch, and before she realized it, her circles were growing, covering more of his back. Eventually she wrapped her arms around his stiff frame, and slowly he relaxed.

As Tommy relaxed into her gentle embrace, he became aware of her humming and singing a soothing, sad song:

 _Mmh, mmhm, It's hard to believe that a feeling this strong_

 _Will ever really change_

 _And I hold my head up steady_

 _Both hands heavy_

 _Oh just like the sky_

 _It's so full of tears_

 _Waiting to cry_

He wondered if the song was over so soon, as her humming grew quiet, and then her soft voice returned with another verse.

 _You're flying high like a Superman_

 _Just like you've always dreamed of_

 _Tell me now, are you finally free_

 _From the troubles of life and love?_

An image flashed in Tommy's mind of Trent's many superhero drawings, and another memory of his depiction of Kira as a superhero before he discovered she was a ranger. As the yellow ranger continued to sing, he found himself closing his eyes and relaxing fully against her, aware of her injuries still. The song was oddly fitting for Trent, and though it did little to soothe Tommy's guilt and sorrow, it started to lull him into sleep.

Before sleep carried him away completely, he felt the lightest brush of lips against his temple and heard Kira whisper, "Oh, Tommy."

 **A/N:** So just a quick note, I felt like the characters were pretty OC in this chapter, but I really want to give the characters some more depth than the show gives them (particularly Connor, Ethan, Kira, and Hayley), so I'm exploring different traumas and how it affects them. Please don't kill me for offing Trent…I swear I have a plan


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N/Disclaimer:** My goal is to post every Friday, but I may post more often whenever I finish a chapter early (such as when I can procrastinate studying for a test). Also, I'm not really editing this as I go; I'm just writing to get the ideas out and for my own enjoyment. Since working at the Writing Center I've realized I've kind of lost the ability to just write for the sake of writing, without staring at a sentence and wondering if that's exactly how I want it to sound. So that's a little of what this story is; attempting to write without editing for hours. Otherwise, I hope everyone enjoys. Oh and I know this came out around 2004, so some of the songs I choose for Kira to sing were not out yet…but sometimes I'll add them anyway, just because I feel like it fits the scene better than other songs.

 **Note: this chapter may be a trigger for those who self-harm or are recovering.**

I don't own Dino Thunder or the characters.

 **Chapter Two**

The sun was just beginning to peer over the treetops, filtering into the living room of Reefside High School's favorite science teacher, whenever he jolted awake.

He blinked blearily and glanced around him, trying to recall where he was and what led him to fall asleep on the couch. Absently his fingers pulled at the cover that had fallen off of him whenever he sat up while the memory of the news headline flickered in his mind's eye.

Trent and Anton Mercer were gone. Connor and Ethan went home with Hayley last night. Kira stayed there.

Kira must've given him the blanket, he decided, running a hand through his black hair then down his face. Whenever he pulled his hand back he noticed small flecks of dried blood and sighed. He needed to shower; he still reeked of their final battle and he suddenly felt incredibly grimy.

Quietly, unsure of where Kira had ended up or if she was still asleep, Tommy walked to his bedroom and gathered some clothes and a fresh towel before heading to the bathroom. Whenever he tried the door he realized it was locked and raised a hand to knock at the same moment it opened to reveal Kira.

Her usually wavy blonde hair was tossed up in a towel and her bright hazel eyes seemed brighter as her cheeks turned crimson. Once Tommy unfroze, he realized why she was so red: she was only wearing one of his t-shirts, which acted semi-effectively as a dress on her.

Neither of them spoke, although Tommy's own cheeks burned and his heart raced in his chest. After a second he realized his eyes were still on her shapely legs instead of her face, and he quickly refocused.

"I, um, couldn't find any sweats," Kira mumbled.

Tommy unfroze and took a step back, allowing Kira to step by him, giving him access to the bathroom. After depositing his clothes and towel on the sink countertop he led Kira to his room and dug around one of his many dresser drawers until he found some sweats with a drawstring. Half in a daze he handed them to her, deaf to her quiet gratitude, before almost running to the bathroom.

Once he was safe in the bathroom he stripped, turned the knobs for the coldest water he could manage, and submerged himself. He tried desperately for the first five minutes of his shower to eradicate the image of the young woman in nothing but one of his t-shirts, perky nipples poking out and her long, smooth legs all too visible.

In the end his attempts were futile and left him with far too much blood for his comfort in his nether regions, which sent a wave of shame over him. _Christ, Tommy, she used to be your student._

An unwelcome voice in the back of his mind sent another wave of shame, _But you never thought of her as your student anyways, did you?_

With a sigh, Tommy forced himself to focus on cleansing his body of yesterday's battle, and yet before long his thoughts returned once more to Kira.

It was true; Tommy had never considered Kira his student, but that was because between all of the young rangers, she showed the greatest strength. Not physically, but mentally. Emotionally. Some days Tommy even wondered if she was stronger than him.

Sure, she had her insecurities, but she tried to never let them hold her back. She hid behind her witty quips and neo punk style—always with a speck of yellow in her outfit—but it served her well.

Tommy would be lying to himself if he claimed he did not admire her strength and courage.

He remembered the first night he witnessed the full ferocity of her strength.

 _It was after a particularly brutal match against the White Ranger, before they released him from his evilness, whenever Kira called him from a park bench in downtown. Her speech was slightly slurred and tears were ever present in her words, and even though it was nearly three a.m., he came._

 _Whenever he found her, he was shocked to see her wearing a pretty, yellow dress with sequins that caught the light of the street lamps. She smelled of cheap liquor and had the faintest smell of cigarettes hanging about her, but she managed a small smile whenever she saw him._

 _"_ _What happened, Kira?" Tommy asked, filled with concern as he sat next to her, body turned to face her fully._

 _"_ _My band split up," she said after a moment, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. "Or I guess, they kicked me out."_

 _Tommy apologized, but he was uncertain what else to say. He was shocked—how could a band kick out their lead singer? "What are you going to do?" he asked, wondering if that was a bad question to ask so soon, and yet he was curious._

 _"_ _Music means a lot to me," she admitted after a moment. "But I know a career out of it wouldn't be easy. I got a nice scholarship to go to the University a town over, and I'm going into their geology program with a minor in music."_

 _"_ _That's great, Kira," he said genuinely, repressing the urge to hug her. He found himself oddly satisfied to hear she was going into geology._

 _She smiled a little uncertainly. "I'm sorry I called you Dr. O," she laughed quietly and shook her head before looking up at the star filled sky. "There was a time whenever I wouldn't have taken this news that well." Another small snort. "Then again, I guess I didn't handle this so well, going to a bar and all."_

 _Tommy was not naïve, so he chose not to ask how she managed to get served in a bar. He was very aware of the fake I.D. problem in Reefside, but instead he considered what she said._

 _He worked in close quarters will all of the young rangers, so of course he had noticed her scars. Most of them were faded white lines along the inside of her wrists and some even on her legs, but he had never really considered them until now. He could just barely make out the ones of the inside of her wrist, and absently he reached out and traced one of them._

 _"_ _You called me though," he murmured and traced another scar. "That takes a lot of courage."_

 _Kira smiled sadly. "Nah," she shook her head slightly, "I lost my dad to drunk driving, I just know better."_

 _"_ _What do you need me to do?" Tommy asked, matching his honey brown gaze to her bloodshot, hazel orbs._

 _"_ _I don't want to hurt my mom by going home drunk, but it's a bit cold to sleep on a park bench tonight—"_

 _The way she said that made Tommy look up, a furrow between his brows. "Kira, anytime you need a place to go, call me," he said a bit sharper than he meant to, but the image of Kira sleeping on a park bench drew at his chest. There were too many creeps out and about that would take advantage of her—especially if she was drunk._

By the time he finished showering and dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt he heard a buzzer going off in the kitchen and he found Kira, hair hanging in loose tendrils about her shoulders, bustling around the kitchen while the smell of pancakes and bacon filled his nostrils.

Kira shot him a small, grateful smile then returned to filling plates with breakfast. Tommy returned her smile and found himself perched next to her on the bar stools, eating his first home-cooked breakfast in weeks.

"Connor and Ethan will be here soon. Hayley's going to bring me a change of clothes." A pause, then a sigh. "The funeral is tomorrow morning, one of Trent's aunts is setting up the proceeding."

Once they finished eating breakfast she took their plates to the sink, and before long there was a knock at the door and Hayley proffered a bag of clothes. "Sorry, Kira, your parents hadn't left yet so I brought you some of mine."

Kira took them with a smile and a thank you before disappearing into the guest room to dress in more appropriate clothes.

Tommy looked at Hayley with a question in his eyes, and she shook her head ever so slightly. "I closed the shop for today and tomorrow."

Before long the guys showed up and they had a wake of sorts for Trent, training and sharing memories in his name.

 **A/N:** Lots of backstory, but I promise the next couple chapters will pick up in speed. In case it wasn't very noticeable, the rangers have graduated high school within the past couple of weeks and are preparing to go off to college.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **Summary of Previous Chapter** : Kira and Tommy experience an awkward realization of their physical attraction to each other whenever Kira can't locate a pair of sweatpants. Tommy then takes a cold shower while Kira cooks breakfast, and Tommy recalls the first time he realized how strong the young woman was. _It was nearly 3 in the morning whenever Kira called him, asking for him to come get her from a park downtown. Kira tells him she was kicked out of her band, and she is drunk after going to a bar with a fake I.D. Kira shares that her father was killed by a drunk driver and that she doesn't want to go home and upset her mom, but that it's too cold to sleep on a park bench. Tommy offers to let her stay in the guest room, and tells her that she can call him anytime. Tommy notices scars on her wrist._

 **A/N/Disclaimer:** I know the story is a bit depressing right now, I swear it'll be happier later. Anyways, I don't own Dino Thunder or the characters, and I hope you all enjoy.

 **Chapter Three**

The funeral was a solemn affair, which Kira supposed was to be expected, and yet what made it even more solemn was the utter lack of people. A dozen or so of Trent's family stood on one side of the casket and grave, while the rangers and Hayley stood on the other side.

It was nearing the end of the funeral whenever Trent's aunt, a tearful woman in her early fifties with mousy brown hair, approached Kira. The woman brought Kira into a bone crushing hug, and Kira almost yelped at the pain the gesture sent through her body, but whenever the woman pulled back she was glad she hadn't. "Kira, right?" a nod. "Trent used to talk so much about you. He'd call me every week, and every time he brought you up."

Kira smiled kindly and rolled her shoulders slightly. Her discomfort didn't matter though—not now. Perhaps it never had. It was no secret between the rangers that Trent had fallen for her. Some days Kira wished she would have fallen for him too, but she simply couldn't. She had fallen for someone else, or at least, she was on her way to falling for him.

"He always said he loved hearing you sing, especially that one song. Lucky One, if I'm remembering right. Would you please sing it? I know it would have meant so much to him."

Kira felt tears rush to her eyes but she nodded again and smiled through the tears. "Of course," she murmured, and then with a glance at all who were present, she started.

 _Another day the city saved us_

 _It gave your heart a place to hide_

 _If all we're counting on is here today and gone tomorrow_

 _I wanna make believe that you remember me_

As Kira sang her voice grew in volume, losing its husky tone from tears and her restricted breathing. She watched as tears fell down everyone's cheeks, and felt her own silent tears slide down hers.

 _I, I won't forget you_

 _Even if you let me go_

 _I won't regret you_

 _Cause I'm the lucky one_

 _I, I won't forget you_

 _Even if you let me go_

 _I won't regret you_

 _Cause I'm the lucky one_

 _Sometimes our dreams, they will escape us_

 _But we're not sleeping anymore_

 _If all we are is lost, I'll keep you in a memory_

 _And when you close your eyes, you will remember me_

Kira closed her eyes as she sang the chorus again, her voice hitching as she started the final verse.

 _You climb so high, you fall too fast_

 _You burn so bright, it just can't last_

 _Doesn't mean so much_

 _No I won't forget_

 _So please, remember me_

By the time she finished the last repeat of the chorus, she was wiping at her eyes and staring at the sleek, mahogany casket. The song's last verse was on repeat in her head, and it send a new stab of pain through her chest with each repeat. _You burn so bright, it just can't last._

It was too close to what Tommy had said the other day, about his abilities burning him out. He always was the most talented of them, except for Tommy, and it turned out he was just too good. Too good for the evil embedded in the dinogem. Too good all the way around.

The rest of the funeral went by in a blur, but Kira did not leave whenever everyone else did. Even whenever Connor and Ethan left with Hayley, she didn't leave, though eventually she became aware of Tommy standing a few feet behind her. His presence was unobtrusive though, and she felt little need to leave.

She was uncertain how much time passed, but eventually the sun started to set beyond the horizon and mosquitoes started to buzz about her ears.

"Kira, you know there was nothing we could have done to prevent it, right?" Tommy said finally, his voice quiet over the lull of the crickets. She felt his proximity more than saw it, and finally she sighed.

"I know," she said. "I guess I just feel guilty. And I miss him."

Tommy stopped whenever he stood equal with her, his gaze heavy. "I know how you feel," he admitted, and then his gaze left her and turned to the fresh mound of dirt.

Kira closed her eyes and breathed out heavily. "Have you ever had someone love you that you couldn't love back?"

Tommy shook his head, "No."

"Trent told me he loved me weeks ago, and I couldn't love him back. I guess I feel guilty that I couldn't give him a reason why, and now that I know why, I feel guilty that it's too late to tell him. I think he would have respected why if he knew."

"I'm sure he respected that you couldn't anyways." Tommy said.

Kira smiled quietly, and eventually she turned to face Tommy. Wordlessly she hugged him, and after a moment of dull shock, Tommy's arms moved mechanically to return the gesture.

Whenever she pulled back his eyes held an unvoiced question, and she laughed quietly. "You look like you want to ask me something," she said, a brittle, teasing tone entering her voice.

The science teacher seemed to hesitate before nodding. "Why couldn't you love him?"

Kira offered another smile and shook her head. "I can't tell you that yet."

But in her head the truth whispered. _You. Because I'm falling for you, and even if it's ridiculous, I can't help but hope you could fall for me too._

 **A/N:** A bit of a short chapter; this is a bit of a slow burn, but I'm also impatient so I'm sure it'll go much faster than I plan for it to. Also, the song was by Goo Goo Dolls, "Lucky One"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read so far. The song in this chapter was "Just Words" by Emma Lahana [Kira Ford's actress].**

 **Chapter Four**

A week passed in relative silence as the rangers dealt with their grief. The rangers scarcely communicated with each other, and it seemed even evil was taking a break for a while.

Ethan spent most of his waking hours at the Cyber Café, playing video games only to scowl sadly at the screen whenever the new barista and server would deliver his next drink. Even Hayley talking about MIT was not enough to distract him.

Connor lounged around, tinkered with his car, and practiced soccer for hours on end. His ultimate goal was to avoid his home, or perhaps more accurately, avoid his mother berating him for going into college without any idea of a major.

Meanwhile Kira carried her guitar with her nearly everywhere, save for work, and often found herself playing in the park. She channeled all of her sorrow into coming up with new songs, and now she was left with an infuriatingly unfinished song stuck in her head.

 _Whisper to me in the voice_

 _The one that's only heard by me_

 _Tell me all the things you only told me in your dreams_

Quietly she sighed, leaned against the bar, and tried to shake the fragmented lyrics from her head. Instead she focused on the crowds of people as some stumbled while others played pool and gambled money they didn't have. Others yelled at the news anchor on the small television above her head.

Absently she grabbed a bus rag and started wiping down the bar where one of her regulars had just left her a twenty. She grabbed the money and pocketed it before placing the empty glass in the rack to be cleaned later. So far there were only a few other empty glasses there, reminding Kira just how dead it was for a Friday night.

"Hey Sweetie, wanna mix up another of those tequila sunrises?"

Kira glanced at the older woman with knotted, silver hair and bloodshot green eyes that she thought would probably be pretty if the woman were sober. Despite the woman's nightly appearance over the past four weeks, Kira was yet to discover the woman's name, which led to her nickname Silver. All she knew was that the woman's husband died a couple months ago and she was still grieving.

Against her better judgement Kira shot the woman a kind smile and prepared her favorite poison. Whenever she set the glass in front of Silver, she caught a whiff of vanilla cigar smoke. Repressing the urge to wrinkle her nose, she leaned closer and pitched her voice low, "I get off in a couple hours, let me walk home with you."

"That'll be fine, Sweetie," Silver slurred, patting Kira's hand lightly.

Content that Silver would stay per usual, Kira turned and tended to another regular, a middle aged man wearing a tuxedo with a new hickey on his neck that he barely attempted to cover. Without even needing to ask, Kira prepared his next Manhattan and placed it in front of him with a small smile. The brief interaction brought her close enough to smell lavender perfume practically exuding from him—courtesy of his most recent affair, if she were to guess.

As she started to address another customer, she was halted by one of her coworkers grabbing her arm. Instinctively she started to pull her arm free, and then she relaxed whenever she realized the massive fingers belonged to Dave, the bar's favorite bouncer. He had greying black hair and scars lining his arms and peaking beneath his shirt collar, courtesy of his time in the infantry, but he was known to be fair.

He was also known to be incredibly protective of Kira. "There's a man wanting to talk to you; should I send him away?" Dave released her arm and let her help another customer while he waited patiently.

Whenever she turned away from an older gentleman she tilted her head slightly and scowled. "Who is it?" she asked. No one that she was close to knew she worked here, and she tried to keep it that way. A fake I.D. was only as good as the anonymity, and the owner of the bar wouldn't take too kindly to finding out he'd hired an eighteen year old to bartend for him.

"Says his name is Tommy Oliver."

Her heart lunged for her sternum and she bit her lower lip. _Crap, why is he here?_ She glanced at the entrance to the bar but did not see the dark haired ranger. Dave must have made him stay outside. "I know him," she said slowly, still puzzling over how Tommy may have found out about her working there. "Is he outside?"

Dave nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Could you take over the bar for a minute, I'll run out and talk to him."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.

Kira smiled. "Yup, thanks for watching out for me, Dave."

The military veteran looked none too pleased but patted her arm lightly and consented.

Kira shot a brief glance at the bar, noting that it would probably be five or ten minutes before anyone wanted more, and then she disappeared into the throng of people. It was a short walk to the entrance of the bar, where she discovered Tommy leaning against the brick wall, arms crossed with a deep furrow between his brows.

His honey brown gaze drilled into her and his lips twisted into a frown. "Kira, how've you been?"

For half a moment Kira considered his peculiar tone, but then she chose to ignore it and gestured for them to walk a short distance to the side of the bar. She had a gut feeling this was going to be a long conversation. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Tommy."

"Why are you working at a bar?" he asked immediately. "You're not twenty-one," he hissed.

"It's good pay and the tips are under the counter. I moved into my apartment this week and needed a job."

Tommy arched a brow. "You worked here while in high school, didn't you?"

Her lips quirked into a small smile, but she neither agreed nor declined. "What are you doing here, Tommy?"

The dark haired man studied her before sighing and crossing his arms over his chest. "I've been trying to catch you for days, but you're never home. I asked Connor and Ethan, but they haven't heard from you either. Then I went out looking, and someone told me I could find a 'cutie named Kira' here." He seemed displeased by someone calling her "cutie," but Kira paid little attention to his aggravation.

"Sorry, I've been out a lot lately."

"So I've heard," Tommy muttered, and Kira felt herself grow defensive.

"What's that tone for?" she asked sharply, very aware that Dave was not a great bartender and would likely be swamped in a matter of minutes.

"Well that _someone_ told me more than I bargained for."

Kira frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "And just what did they tell you?"

Anger flashed in his eyes and then it was gone as he looked away, jaw clenched. "They asked if I was looking to get in your pants, because you were pretty easy."

Words escaped her as she stared at her fellow ranger, shock and anger coursing her veins. She parted her lips to speak, then closed them again with a shake of her head. A part of her wanted to yell, another part of her wanted to ask if he really thought so little of her, and then there was the part of her that just felt sad. "I thought you would know me better than that," she murmured and quickly blinked away the tears. "Didn't think for one second the guy could be lying, did you?"

Uncertainty flashed in the black ranger's eyes, followed by regret, but it was too late. "Kira—"

"I've got work to do," she said quietly, so as to avoid an unnecessary ptera scream. The miniscule flecks of green and blue in her hazel gaze seemed to flare with her anger moments before she closed her eyes and sighed. "And I don't think you came here to start a fight. What'd you need to tell me?"

Tommy hesitated, then shoved his guilt deeper and said, "Mesagog and Zeltrax are gone, and I kept wondering why we still have our powers…well I think I figured out why."

Despite her hurt, Kira felt her curiosity spark. "Why?"

"The dino gems shouldn't have bound to our DNA unless there was a signature of evil within the area; once that signature is gone, then the abilities should have left too: they didn't."

"So you think there's another baddie in the area?"

Tommy nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Have you told the guys yet?"

A scream cut through the air.

Kira felt the hairs on her arms stand on end as she and Tommy exchanged a wide eyed look. The sound came from inside, and without a word, both of them were sprinting for the entrance. Hurt feelings aside, they fell into sync as they stood side by side, taking in the surroundings.

What they found sent a shiver down Kira's spine.

It was a masculine figure with leather skin and too large purple eyes. Its limbs were scaled while its chest was bare, and it held a laser gun in its hand. The sickening odor of burnt flesh and hair filled Kira's nostrils and she looked around to figure out who was hurt.

"Rangers," the creature spoke in a muddled English tongue, "Step forward or I _will_ massacre this place."

Kira barely heard it as her gaze locked onto Silver, face down at the bar with a pool of blood under her head.

Her stomach tightened as she looked away and met Tommy's gaze. His gaze shimmered with confliction before he nodded ever so slightly and they both stepped forward.

As they were the only ones standing rather than cowering, there was no doubt what that slight movement meant, and Kira was vaguely aware of gasps throughout the bar.

"Rangers, you've made a wise choice," and in a split moment they were engulfed in darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Thanks for the favorites/follows/review :) I think this story will be roughly fifteen chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers.

I hope you all enjoy.

 **Chapter Five**

The first thing she became aware of was a sharp, stabbing pain in her lower back, as though she had fallen asleep in a cramped location and now her muscles were pleading for relief. She latched onto the pain and slowly drew herself further into consciousness, until eventually she opened her eyes.

Almost instantly she closed them again, groaning at the brightness of the room. After a few moments she slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the reactive tears while she gradually became acquainted with her surroundings.

White walls, white ceiling, linoleum tiles, steel cage—Kira rolled onto her stomach after realizing her hands were tethered behind her back, and that was the cause of the pain in her back.

With the pain relieved she continued looking around, confused as she considered the steel bars with the cage ceiling only a couple feet above her head. She would barely be able to sit up, let alone stand.

The rest of the room was uninteresting, save for the second steel cage with a dark haired man collapsed in a heap. His cage was only slightly larger than her own, not that it seemed to matter for the moment.

Kira repressed the panic that clawed at her chest, reminding herself that Tommy was likely only unconscious, as she had been just moments ago.

Where were they?

The only door to the room slammed open and Kira jumped, her heart racing in her chest as she pushed herself into a sitting position with her elbow.

Confusion raked at her brain as she considered the slightly feminine creature that stood in front of her cage. Its skin was leathery, like the creature from the bar, but it was ghostly white. She wore nothing, but it seemed she had little need to: the only feminine aspect of it was the slightly smaller size than the creature from before and the longer hair atop its head.

"Yellow Ranger, you come with me."

Its voice was like nails on a chalkboard and Kira winced at the sound, recoiling instinctively whenever the creature reached in to grab her arm roughly.

Wherever it touched her was like acid against her skin and she gasped sharply, trying to pull away from the burning sensation, but to no avail. The creature only dragged her out of the cage, unminding of the small entrance compared to Kira's body. It continued to drag her through the doorway and down an equally uninteresting hallway.

After a series of twists and turns that Kira barely kept track of, _straight, left, right, straight—is that a portal?—right,_ they ended up in a large room with what appeared to be a dentist chair in the center. The creature hauled her onto it and immediately began strapping her down, despite Kira's attempts to ptera scream the creature away.

"What do you want?" Kira asked , thrashing against the bindings, but the creature only sneered at her and walked back out of the room.

Kira huffed and continued tugging against the leather bindings, ignoring the burns that started to irk the delicate skin of her inner wrists. She lost track of time after what felt like an hour of lying there, strapped to that damn chair, until eventually the door opened and the creature returned, followed by another one.

"Yellow Ranger, you were wise to turn yourself in. Very noble of you."

Kira held her tongue and merely watched the creature from the bar—his voice was more bearable than the other creature, but it was far from pleasurable to the ears.

"You wonder why you're here, correct?"

She tugged against the straps again to no avail before slumping back and sighing. "What are you? Who do you work for?" she asked, figuring if she was trapped she should make good use of her time.

The creature made a sound resembling a laugh and turned to the other creature. "Do I work for anyone, Ceci?"

The creature, Ceci, apparently, snickered. "No, Master."

Ceci's master nodded approvingly and returned its attention to Kira. "I am Ragn, King of the Isyth. My people live far from here and our planet is dying."

"So what do you want with us?" Kira asked, watching as Ceci walked around the room and prepared a solution in something resembling an E-flask, except with green glass, like an old alcohol bottle.

"You've been selected as the elite of your planet. The lesser humans we've selected have all died. If you cannot withstand the procedure, then we know we must move on."

Fear surged through Kira's veins and she gave a last effort to pull free of the bindings before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "There aren't many like us," she said quietly, beginning to guess why Ceci was preparing whatever solution she was preparing.

"I know," Ragn said quietly. Kira flinched whenever she felt the tip of a needle touch the crease of her elbow. "But if you can survive the entire procedure, then we can extract your DNA and create more of you."

"Why do you need more of us?" The needle pierced her skin and pain blossomed deep in her elbow, quickly chasing through the rest of her body as the acid-like substance spread.

"So we can farm you. Naturally we need food, but we need you to live in _our_ environment."

A scream was torn from her throat before she passed out, barely catching Ragn's last words.

For the second time in twenty-four hours she found herself roused from unconsciousness in an unfamiliar environment. The first thing she realized was it hurt to breathe and it hurt to move.

The second thing she realized was the presence of Ceci next to her, unstrapping her slowly.

"Master is happy," Ceci said. "You survived the first round, the other ranger didn't."

"Black ranger?" Kira closed her eyes as her head started throbbing. It felt like the worst hangover in her life, without the thrill of alcohol the night before, and Ceci's voice was an unwelcome torture.

"White. Come," the creature urged, pulling Kira off the chair. Almost immediately Kira's legs collapsed beneath her, and it was only absently that she realized it did not hurt where Ceci touched her.

Ceci dragged her to her feet and started pulling her out of the room. "What happened?" Kira mumbled, dully watching their surroundings as her mind began to sharpen, the hangover symptoms lessening as she recalled the severity of the situation. She drew on her ranger powers for the strength she would need in the next couple of minutes.

"I shot you," Ceci said happily.

"With what?" Kira felt a wave of nausea pass over her and caught the nearest wall, clutching her stomach.

"Isyth Serum. Will change you."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kira murmured, watching out of the corner of her eyes as Ceci came closer. Whenever the creature was within inches of reach, Kira lashed out and snatched the laser pistol off the creature's hip.

Pointing the foreign weight in her hand at the creature resulted in a fearful whimper from it and a moment of shame before Kira pulled the trigger.

Immediately after Kira ran through the halls, stumbling with every other step as her strength began to fade. She reached the room Tommy was still in, conscious and sitting up in his cage.

Once Tommy was free Kira felt her strength fade rapidly and her knees buckled. Before she could fall she caught the side of the cage, averting her gaze from his wide eyes. "Kira, what happened?"

"They injected me with something," she mumbled woozily. "C'mon, I think I know the way out."

Tommy lightly wrapped his arm around her waist and she wrapped an arm over his shoulders as he supported most of her weight. "Straight…left…right," she murmured as they made their way through the white walled hallways and rooms. Both of them felt the pressure of time too much to really consider what was around them, until a familiar voice yelled, "Stop!"

"Keep going," Tommy whispered, but Kira chose to face their opponent instead. Wordlessly she raised the laser pistol, only comprehending who it was after she fired—after Ragn collapsed in a heap.

She dropped the laser pistol and Tommy tugged her along, a scowl forming between his brows. "Kira, which way?"

They were in a hallway with one door to their left and one straight ahead. "Straight," she murmured absently, barely aware of Tommy nearly dragging her through the next door and through the green and black portal.

They were spit out in familiar forests, with Tommy landing on his feet and Kira crumpling to her knees. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut as tears threatened to be released.

Tommy crouched in front of his old student, scowling and uncertain. "Kira," he whispered and reached out slowly, though to do what he wasn't sure. "What happened back there?"

"I don't know," she replied with a watery sigh. "They were responsible for Trent. I think they injected him with the same thing they injected me with," and she proceeded to relay everything she knew.

By the end Tommy had his arms wrapped around her and Kira was left tearfully holding him in turn. Neither of them spoke for a long while, even as Tommy's thoughts ran rampant.

 _She'll be fine, she survived longer than they expected._ And yet there was a whisper of doubt in the corner of his mind that wondered otherwise. Kira didn't even show remorse for killing the creature from the bar, didn't even blink before shooting him.

"I think we should go back to the lab," Tommy said finally, pulling back enough to see her weary, bloodshot eyes. "Actually, I think you should get some rest first."

"I don't, um," Kira mumbled and sighed. "I don't want to be alone."

Tommy smiled kindly. "You can stay at my place. It may be for the best anyways."

And so with that concern addressed, they returned to Tommy's house and after they both showered and brushed their teeth, Tommy went to his bedroom and Kira collapsed on the guest bed.

That morning Tommy checked his phone for voicemails and did a double take at the date—June 14, 2005. They were missing for four days. "How's that possible?" he wondered under his breath as he listened to the first voicemail.

It was from Hayley but held minimal concern. _"Hi Tommy, Ethan mentioned you were trying to find Kira, but I haven't heard from either of you for a couple days. I know everyone's mourning still, but check in, won't you?"_

He had two more voicemails from Hayley, both along the line of, _"Hey Tommy, we're starting to get worried. Where are you? Where's Kira?"_

The one from Connor was the most shocking: _"Dr. O, where are you? Ethan and I…we can't morph anymore. What's going on? Where's Kira?"_

Despite the sense of knowing in the pit of his stomach, Tommy attempted morphing and discovered that he too could not morph. Any attempt to access that power that used to rest in the back of his mind was to no avail.

Their powers were gone, and he had a strong feeling it happened the moment that creature died.


End file.
